Office-based physician EHR adoption: 6 updates

The number of office-based physicians using EHRs has steadily increased. According to the 2014 National Electronic Health Records Survey from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which is conducted by the CDC, nearly three-quarters of office-based physicians had adopted a certified EHR system in 2014.

Here are six updates on office-based physician EHR adoption.

1. The 74.1 percent of office-based physicians who had a certified EHR in 2014 was 9.7 percent higher than the 67.5 percent who had adopted a certified EHR in 2013.

3. There is a significant range of EHR adoption between states. Alaska had the lowest percentage of office-based physicians to adopt an EHR (58.8 percent) and Minnesota had the highest (88.6 percent).

4. Approximately 39 percent of physicians were electronically sharing patient health information with other ambulatory providers or hospitals.

5. Approximately one in 10 physicians electronically shared patient health information with behavioral health, long-term care and home health providers.

6. The percentage of office-based physicians with certified EHR systems who shared patient health information electronically significantly varies by state. New Jersey had the lowest percentage of information sharing (17.7 percent), while North Dakota had the highest (58.8 percent).